Pages

I mean, everyone says that the reason they play whatever mmorpg that they do play because of the people they play with, whether they be their guild or friends from the 'outside world.' This basically coincides with the general opinion that if a game like WoW was singleplayer no one would play it, it would have lost nearly all of its appeal. This argument is kinda' pointless because WoW wasn't designed a singleplayer but as an mmorpg. But the fact that the gaming community plays such as big part of an mmo the question arises can gamers make a rubbish mmorpg good?

I think the short answer is a simple no because in the first place most gamers wouldn't play a rubbish mmorpg. But lets just work with a hypothetical; say if a large group of gamers banded together and worked their utmost to make the game as fun as possible; forming one large guild one's entire purpose is to help each other out and have fun, always making groups for people to do hard quests or dungeons. Helping lower level players get better gear so they lvl faster. Organising massive group events in which everyone can participate, as well as offering crazy in-game items to participants. Would it do anything? Would other players be so involved and excited about it that they would tell all their friends about it and subscription sky-rocket? Would people be so immersed in their gaming community and all the great times they are having socializing with others that they would overlook the many flaws of the game?

No, it would never work. The guild would soon be flooded by beggars and whingers who would constantly complain about others getting better stuff then them. The organization required would be massive and in the end, the better gamers would be tired of babysitting others lower-level players. And the players that had been brought up with favors would lose interest instantly after they reached the top level and they have to start looking after themselves. This is all assuming that every player is ignoring all the flaws of the game.

So if its so certain why ask the question? Well, this is what a few mmorpg developers are doing nowadays; relying far too much on their large fan-base or active community and hoping that their loyalty and commitment will cover up the faults of their game. In conclusion, no matter how good a community any game has in the end it comes down to the quality of the game.